short range hunting

[olafhardt]

I hunt southern woods. For several years when I have been in the woods, II have picked out some rock, orstump, or spot on a tree that was as far away as I felt I could see to shoot. I would then step off this distance. MY I say agian MY maximum range is 35agian 35 yards!! I have started to look at what is best for SHORT range hunting. I dont see the necessity of those j things, high velocity or MOA. Handy makes sense. Join me in this discussion.

[Doc Highwall]

Because you are standing when you shoot get a 22Lr that matches the gun that you hunt with. One of the guns that I hunt with is a Marlin 1895 in 45-70 and I have a Marlin 39A to practice with for standing shooting. This is great cheep practice and is harder then most people realize, the muzzle velocity of the 22Lr is 1255 fps which is slower then the 45-70 at 1750 fps making me practice follow through.

[NHlever]

I hunt the northeastern woods, and though I take a stand in a field sometimes, usually the distance to where I expect game is not much over 50 yards. The average for all the deer I've seen killed around here is 37 + a little yards. A good friend carries a Ruger 77 Ultra light in .270, and I have kidded him about it, but there is always that powerline shot you know. I often use a .308 lightweight bolt action, and someimes the lever action 30-30's, and 35 Rem's, but sometimess you will catch me with a .357, 44 Mag, or .45 colt handgun, or carbine too.

[dnepr]

it is way more than you need but my .444 marlin has taken a lot of deer at those type of ranges , It points quick , wears a 1.75-5 power scope , always down on 1.75 for woods hunting , I find the low power scope ,with duplex recticles great for fast target aquisition , Our northern whitetail tend to be a bit bigger than some of the southern variety but the .444 is still more than you need . there are probably better choices but the " triple four" works for me

[white eagle]

my thought exactly
I can count on one hand the deer I have taken
over 50 yds
and its not many
even the elk and bear I have killed have been under the 50 yd line

[CATS]

Do you want to pick a gun that you own or are you looking to buy a new gun? How good are your eyes, (do you need a scope or a red dot sight)? How hard would it be to find a deer that ran off? How big is your hunting spot? Could it run off on to property that you have no acess to? Do you plan to tree stand hunt or are you going to still hunt (stalk hunt)? How deep are your pockets (if you need to buy one how much can you spend)?

[wallenba]

Michigan is a lot like that. Unless you are fortunate to hunt private land like open farm fields or power line cuts, most shots are under a hundred yards in my experience. A fixed four power scope is adequate.

[Bullshop]

For that kind of range a Marlin mod 94 in 44 mag is hard to beat. Fast handling and light weight with ample power for even the biggest game North America has to offer.
The 94s are quite a bit lighter than the 336 and the 44 mag is no slouch in a gas sealed carbine. That is what I packed when woods loafing about the timber camps.
My bear load throws the 310 Lee at 1700 fps.

[Thumbcocker]

If you want to impress me as a shooter tell me how far away you were when you hit the target. If you want to impress me as a HUNTER tell me how close you were to the critter when you got it.

[fredj338]

Well, I hunt deer to 100yds w/ a scoped 44mag & LHP. Works fine if I do my part. I have a scout scoped 1895gg/45-70, I would love to try for shots under 150yds, seems about perfect.

[olafhardt]

I am not really looking for a reccomendation, Ive got a win 94(POST64). Its backed up with an older light weight version of the Marlin 39, the 39-D. The 39D trained me on lever actions. I had a Marlin 336 but it did not feel right. I have come to think that the 22 understudy may be more important than the HP. Trere is some real maturity shown in the above replies. What i am after here is to have an experinced based discussion of short range guns. As above I have found that woods game is shot offhand. I have heard thatt single shots are great cause you are only golng to get one shot. I dont aagree I keep shooting untill the critter is dead. I like peep sights. I make my own and they arent ghost rings. I wonder about people that wear cowboy hats while brush hunting.

[Rocky Raab]

I spent five years in Mississippi and nine in Florida before moving West. I carried a .308 when there was a chance of cross-pasture shots, but in the woods, a Blackhawk 45 Colt was my choice. A 255 SWC at 900 fps was always more than enough for any deer or feral hog. I believe that load would have shot through a Southern deer lengthwise, in fact. A holstered revolver made climbing into a tree stand a whole lot easier and safer, to boot.

Once, I was in a tree stand overlooking a palmetto flat in Florida. I had my .308 for that, but also had a .38 revolver for the very common encounter with a huge rattler. I spotted a little spike buck ambling my way along a trail that passed right under my tree, and decided he'd do. But rather than use the rifle, I eased out the revolver, thumbed past the shot load I carried first up and waited. The buck stopped right below me, and I literally had to spread my toes to miss them when I shot. He was five feet from my two feet when the .38 barked and I drilled him straight through the spine between his shoulder blades. Dead before he hit his hooves.

While I would never recommend a .38 Special for deer hunting, it will certainly do the job under exactly the right circumstances.

[white eagle]

hunting is all about getting close
shooting game at long range is not a test for the hunter more a test for the gun

[Big Boomer]

Fully agree with most of what is posted above. However, getting close to groundhogs is another matter, especially when there is no cover to use for sneaking up on them.

Last Thursday I saw one perched on a lumber pile between 150 and 200 yards from our house. No way to get near that critter. I went downstairs and got my Remington 788 in .223, then toted up the sandbags that I use for benchresting. Set the whole setup on our breakfast table, raised the window and sent a hot loaded Nosler 52 grain hp boattail match bullet across the pasture field in exactly the right direction. End of another groundhog. 'Tuck

[Potsy]

If groundhogs were as tall as deer and had as high of a line of sight, I'm not sure a man could get into rifle range of one with no cover.
Before we had coyotes, we had lots of groundhog. I spent a large portion of my late teens and early 20's trying to get an easier, closer, surer, shot on them. I had to earn every one of them.
A .25-06 helped my odds vs. the .22mag I had used, but they were still a challenge.
But yeah, for deer, close up, I'd take heavy and slow over fast any day. Also, rifles, (or pistols) built around heavy and slow can be pretty handy (guide guns, H&R's, #1's).

[fredj338]

Fully agree with most of what is posted above. However, getting close to groundhogs is another matter, especially when there is no cover to use for sneaking up on them.

Last Thursday I saw one perched on a lumber pile between 150 and 200 yards from our house. No way to get near that critter. I went downstairs and got my Remington 788 in .223, then toted up the sandbags that I use for benchresting. Set the whole setup on our breakfast table, raised the window and sent a hot loaded Nosler 52 grain hp boattail match bullet across the pasture field in exactly the right direction. End of another groundhog. 'Tuck
Sure there is, full camo & patience. I used to do praire dogs w/ an open sighted handgun. It's a lot of crawiling but if the game is get close can be done.[smilie=w:

[Rocky Raab]

Ghillie suit. Critters really have no idea there's a man inside that slowly moving bush. I've actually had birds land on me while wearing one. Here I am in it ...

http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c170/RockyRaab/meinghillie.jpg

[kyswede]

I read not too long ago the average distance for a deer kill in KY is 40 yards. I don't know if that includes bow hunting or not.
kyswede

[Tatume]

Fully agree with most of what is posted above. However, getting close to groundhogs is another matter, especially when there is no cover to use for sneaking up on them.

When I was a kid I hunted groundhogs with a shotgun. Nowadays I use a rifle or hndgun, but rarely shoot from more than 50 yards. Sometimes it takes a long time to get him, but groundhogs are not very smart. They will run to their holes, but an hour or less later they come back out. First they stick their heads out and look for awhile, then they mosey out and stay close, then they wander over to the foraging area. Guess who is waiting when he arrives?

[troy_mclure]

growing up in southern ohio its thick brush and steep hills. and no rifles!

99% of my deer were killed with a shotgun(slug) under 75 yards, or a muzzle loader(under 150yds), but the longer range shots were rare.

[onesonek]

.45 colt in either revolver or rifle would suit me for under 50yds. I would prefer the revolver, or more so, a single shot TC Encore or Contender.